The best block?

[Ironbear24]

Yesterday I learned some interesting blocks that basically "pull" my opponent off balance and drawing them closer to me. This more than likely can only be done with punches/arm strikes of course, I can't imagine it working with a kick.

Anyway I guess my point is a block should always do more than simply stop yourself from getting hit. For example many karate blocks being more of a strike to their limb than a "block." Making them hurt and pay a "Tax" for throwing a strike.

What is your opinion and ideas of the best block?

 

[JowGaWolf]

For me any block that keeps me from getting the full force of a punch, kick, knee, or elbow is a "best block"

 

[drop bear]

Either way. So ignoring any other sorts of defense.

You can sort of catch or block the arm and hit or grab with the opposite arm.

I have done it with a Thai grapple and spun the guy off with it. But it is a bit of a party trick. As you need the right punch at the right time.

You can block and then return with the same hand hitting them before they can get their arm back to cover. It is a bit safer because if it goes wrong it is hard to capitalise.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Yesterday I learned some interesting blocks that basically "pull" my opponent off balance and drawing them closer to me. This more than likely can only be done with punches/arm strikes of course, I can't imagine it working with a kick.

Anyway I guess my point is a block should always do more than simply stop yourself from getting hit. For example many karate blocks being more of a strike to their limb than a "block." Making them hurt and pay a "Tax" for throwing a strike.

What is your opinion and ideas of the best block?

Now you are starting to learn. Congrats!

FYI yes you can use your feet and legs to do the same thing.

Stand straight. Feet together. Now step out right on a 45 degree angle. Make it a big stupid looking exaggerated step, like you were marching. Knee up, step to the right, set down.

Now, imagine someone tried to kick you. You 'blocked' with the leg you stepped out with and used it to steer them away from you and off balanced them. Now hit them.

"A person's unbalance is the same as a weight."

 

[Ironbear24]

Now you are starting to learn. Congrats!

FYI yes you can use your feet and legs to do the same thing.

Stand straight. Feet together. Now step out right on a 45 degree angle. Make it a big stupid looking exaggerated step, like you were marching. Knee up, step to the right, set down.

Now, imagine someone tried to kick you. You 'blocked' with the leg you stepped out with and used it to steer them away from you and off balanced them. Now hit them.

"A person's unbalance is the same as a weight."

Whoa! That is awesome. I'm going to try that sometime. Thanks for telling me that.

 

[Touch Of Death]

Also, if you block a kick with your leg, it helps to kick their kick back to them.

 

[MI_martialist]

There is no such thing as a block. What is called a block is an attack to the attack. It may intercept, but it does not block. Blocking is a defensive attitude whereas if you attack the attack (and thank about it, your inner forearm "block" strikes, right? It attacks) you are no longer defensive in attitude..it changes the game.

When you were learning these the other day, what was your entire body doing? Each part of it, what was it doing? Each part plays an integral part in everything we do...did you shift? Did you move? If so, ho, where, according to what trajectory that was coming in? What did your shoulders do? Arms? Hands? Fingers? Hips? Waist? Toes? Breath?

 

[Touch Of Death]

There is no such thing as a block. What is called a block is an attack to the attack. It may intercept, but it does not block. Blocking is a defensive attitude whereas if you attack the attack (and thank about it, your inner forearm "block" strikes, right? It attacks) you are no longer defensive in attitude..it changes the game.

When you were learning these the other day, what was your entire body doing? Each part of it, what was it doing? Each part plays an integral part in everything we do...did you shift? Did you move? If so, ho, where, according to what trajectory that was coming in? What did your shoulders do? Arms? Hands? Fingers? Hips? Waist? Toes? Breath?

Yeah, Yeah. We know.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

Yesterday I learned some interesting blocks that basically "pull" my opponent off balance and drawing them closer to me. This more than likely can only be done with punches/arm strikes of course, I can't imagine it working with a kick.

Anyway I guess my point is a block should always do more than simply stop yourself from getting hit. For example many karate blocks being more of a strike to their limb than a "block." Making them hurt and pay a "Tax" for throwing a strike.

What is your opinion and ideas of the best block?

While I agree with KF Wang's post, I also think some blocks are "better" than others. I put that in quotes, because it's partly based upon personal preference, partly on circumstance (what's available). My favorite blocks are soft blocks that actually affect structure. It doesn't have to be much, but if I can get some downward force into a block, allow it to cushion the strike rather than a hard stop (think blocking with a striking pad, versus blocking with a foam bat), I can usually move the shoulder. How much I can move that shoulder will depend upon what they've given me, but any change opens up some opportunity. If the shoulder moves enough, I can parry. Or it might open up entry to a close-in technique (clinch to leg sweep, underhook for a hip throw, etc.).

Sometimes, though, the strike coming in doesn't invite that block, and using it wouldn't be more effective. In those cases it's maybe the hard block (the "make them pay for hitting me" variety), or just covering to find an opening.

 

[Balrog]

All blocks are strikes in reality. We simply use the term strike to differentiate hitting the body core or head from hitting an extremity.

But the best block of all is distance. The more distance between you and your opponent, the harder it is for him to hit you.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

There is no such thing as a block. What is called a block is an attack to the attack. It may intercept, but it does not block. Blocking is a defensive attitude whereas if you attack the attack (and thank about it, your inner forearm "block" strikes, right? It attacks) you are no longer defensive in attitude..it changes the game.

When you were learning these the other day, what was your entire body doing? Each part of it, what was it doing? Each part plays an integral part in everything we do...did you shift? Did you move? If so, ho, where, according to what trajectory that was coming in? What did your shoulders do? Arms? Hands? Fingers? Hips? Waist? Toes? Breath?

That's not universal. In grappling, we may want to keep the limb, and hitting it hard isn't the best way to keep it.

 

[thanson02]

Yesterday I learned some interesting blocks that basically "pull" my opponent off balance and drawing them closer to me. This more than likely can only be done with punches/arm strikes of course, I can't imagine it working with a kick.

Anyway I guess my point is a block should always do more than simply stop yourself from getting hit. For example many karate blocks being more of a strike to their limb than a "block." Making them hurt and pay a "Tax" for throwing a strike.

What is your opinion and ideas of the best block?

I think both ways have their functions in sparring and which one you use will depend more on what you want to do in response to your opponent then anything. We call the "pulling" blocks a parry and I have used them in sparring, although I don't use them to bring them closer to me per say. We use them to redirect the opponents attack off their center line to throw them off balance. How well it works will depend much on your skill level vs your opponents as well as your timing. Attacking the limbs in response to an attack is perfectly fine. Redirecting your opponent's attack and throwing them off balance works well too. Again, it all depends on what you are trying to do and what your intentions are.

 

[jobo]

Now you are starting to learn. Congrats!

FYI yes you can use your feet and legs to do the same thing.

Stand straight. Feet together. Now step out right on a 45 degree angle. Make it a big stupid looking exaggerated step, like you were marching. Knee up, step to the right, set down.

Now, imagine someone tried to kick you. You 'blocked' with the leg you stepped out with and used it to steer them away from you and off balanced them. Now hit them.

"A person's unbalance is the same as a weight."

are you suggesting blocking a kick to the leg by putting your leg in the way? Isn't that counter productive, if you have enough time to do that,you have enough time to move out of range

 

[jobo]

Also, if you block a kick with your leg, it helps to kick their kick back to them.

There is no such thing as a block. What is called a block is an attack to the attack. It may intercept, but it does not block. Blocking is a defensive attitude whereas if you attack the attack (and thank about it, your inner forearm "block" strikes, right? It attacks) you are no longer defensive in attitude..it changes the game.

When you were learning these the other day, what was your entire body doing? Each part of it, what was it doing? Each part plays an integral part in everything we do...did you shift? Did you move? If so, ho, where, according to what trajectory that was coming in? What did your shoulders do? Arms? Hands? Fingers? Hips? Waist? Toes? Breath?

the problem with that is that forces being equal and opposite what ever force you instill into your oppoinent with your block is also felt by you. Now this can work if your hitting bone in to muscle as he get more damage for the force created, but bone on bone or flesh on flesh and you are doing exactly the same to yourself as you are to him.. I my instructor keeps wacking me with a full force block and it hurts, but I know it hurts him just as much
I dont see deflective blocking as defensive, more it opens him up to a counter attack, but I find blocking,difficult as I would rather move than block if I can

 

[Touch Of Death]

the problem with that is that forces being equal and opposite what ever force you instill into your oppoinent with your block is also felt by you. Now this can work if your hitting bone in to muscle as he get more damage for the force created, but bone on bone or flesh on flesh and you are doing exactly the same to yourself as you are to him.. I my instructor keeps wacking me with a full force block and it hurts, but I know it hurts him just as much
I dont see deflective blocking as defensive, more it opens him up to a counter attack, but I find blocking,difficult as I would rather move than block if I can

Not me. I am kicking your kick and I am coming forward. No start overs.

 

[Midnight-shadow]

Yesterday I learned some interesting blocks that basically "pull" my opponent off balance and drawing them closer to me. This more than likely can only be done with punches/arm strikes of course, I can't imagine it working with a kick.

Anyway I guess my point is a block should always do more than simply stop yourself from getting hit. For example many karate blocks being more of a strike to their limb than a "block." Making them hurt and pay a "Tax" for throwing a strike.

What is your opinion and ideas of the best block?

We do this a lot with our blocks. One in particular we call the "upper crane block", as shown here:

As you can see it not only deflects the punch but you curl your arm around theirs to either grab it for a strike, or keep it out of the way so you can attack freely yourself. We do a similar thing to block kicks using a "lower crane block" but I wasn't able to find a decent picture of it.

 

[jobo]

Not me. I am kicking your kick and I am coming forward. No start overs.

it sound a high risk Hollywood strategy, can you do that reliably with real world speed? I've watched a lot of full contact fights and can't recall it every being used in competition

 

[jobo]

We do this a lot with our blocks. One in particular we call the "upper crane block", as shown here:

As you can see it not only deflects the punch but you curl your arm around theirs to either grab it for a strike, or keep it out of the way so you can attack freely yourself. We do a similar thing to block kicks using a "lower crane block" but I wasn't able to find a decent picture of it.

she appears to be punching very slowly with both arms together. We drill stiff like this I'm im not at all convinced that it actually works with someone who throws a punch and doesn't leave it hanging there, well maybe if your fast enough to catch flies, grasshopper and you are lucky enough to be attacked by someone who dramatically reduces their punching power by double punching

 

[Touch Of Death]

it sound a high risk Hollywood strategy, can you do that reliably with real world speed? I've watched a lot of full contact fights and can't recall it every being used in competition

It works for me, on the street.

 

[JowGaWolf]

We do this a lot with our blocks. One in particular we call the "upper crane block", as shown here:

As you can see it not only deflects the punch but you curl your arm around theirs to either grab it for a strike, or keep it out of the way so you can attack freely yourself. We do a similar thing to block kicks using a "lower crane block" but I wasn't able to find a decent picture of it.

We have the same technique. We do it with either 2 hands or one hand depending on what is coming at us. I like this one for women's self-defense on someone reaching out to choke with both hands, reaching to grab shoulders, or reaching to grab both arms. I think it's one of the easier techniques to learn